Exhibit Prototyping

The Tech Studio will be a collaborative design, fabrication, and testing space within the museum. This space will be used by museum staff to create and test new exhibit ideas and museum visitors to design and build projects.

Facilities And Equipment

Located on the museum's lower level, The Tech Studio will occupy approximately 3000 sq. ft., split between fabrication shop, prototype testing and collaborative flex space. Through the use of flexible partitions, and wheeled components, the arrangement of the spaces will be fluid. The shop’s digital fabrication equipment will include a Laser Cutter, 3D Printer, CNC Router, CNC Mill, Vinyl Cutter, and Inkjet Printer as well as electronics tools, hand tools, sewing equipment, and a wide array of supplies. The shop will open out to the museum galleries so that all technologies are visible to museum visitors. The design processes employed in The Tech Studio also provide a model for the challenge-based learning experiences which will be central in the museum’s lower level exhibits.

Prototyping and Exhibit Development Process

In order to realize our goals of increased visitor engagement in the museum, we will be developing the new experiences using a somewhat novel approach for the field. We are committed to co-creating the museum experience with our visitors and staff. This approach will manifest itself in extensive piloting of exhibit/programming concepts, as well as iterative prototyping of the resulting exhibits on the museum floor with visitors/participants. This process will be led by interdisciplinary teams which will include many partners from Silicon Valley companies and universities.